Battle for Libya

Rémi Ochlik

General News

1st prize stories

Battle for Libya

Rémi Ochlik

General News

2012

1st prize stories

After security forces fired live rounds on demonstrators in Libya’s second city of Benghazi, in mid-February, anti-government protests escalated. Over the next few months, opposition to the rule of long-time dictator Colonel Muammar Gaddafi became a full-scale national revolt.

Tsunami Aftermath

Paolo Pellegrin

General News

2nd prize stories

Tsunami Aftermath

Paolo Pellegrin

General News

2012

2nd prize stories

Tsunami waves created by a massive earthquake off the northeastern shores of Japan caused wide-ranging destruction along the coast. Overwhelming the three worst-hit prefectures with an estimated 22.63 million tons of debris.

Japan's Nuclear Refugees

David Guttenfelder

General News

3rd prize stories

Japan's Nuclear Refugees

David Guttenfelder

General News

2012

3rd prize stories

The Tohoku earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan damaged vital cooling systems at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. A 20-kilometer exclusion zone was declared around the plant, and more than 80,000 people were evacuated.

Arriving for Trial

Arriving for Trial

Tsunami

Yasuyoshi Chiba

People in the News

1st prize stories

Tsunami

Yasuyoshi Chiba

People in the News

2012

1st prize stories

On 11 March, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck 70 kilometers off the Tōhoku coast, in northeastern Japan. The quake triggered a tsunami that swept inland, destroying buildings, crippling infrastructure, and resulting in the displacement of more than 340,000 people.

Evicted

John Moore

People in the News

2nd prize stories

Evicted

John Moore

People in the News

2012

2nd prize stories

Americans experienced the fifth year of a national housing crisis. By the end of 2011, some four million families had lost their homes after they could no longer meet mortgage payments. People renting houses often found themselves in a similar situation, no longer able to afford the rent and facing eviction.

The Fight for Tahrir Square

Jan Dago

People in the News

3rd prize stories

The Fight for Tahrir Square

Jan Dago

People in the News

2012

3rd prize stories

Peaceful demonstrations against the leadership of Egypt’s president Hosni Mubarak, on Tahrir Square in Cairo, turned violent in late January and early February, when Mubarak supporters attempted to storm the square and attack the protesters.

Never Let You Go

Alejandro Kirchuk

Daily Life

1st prize stories

Never Let You Go

Alejandro Kirchuk

Daily Life

2012

1st prize stories

Marcos and Monica were married for 65 years and, for much of that time, lived in the same apartment in Buenos Aires. In 2007, aged 84, Monica was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Since that moment, Marcus devoted his time to taking care of her.

Bolivianas

Pietro Paolini

Daily Life

2nd prize stories

Bolivianas

Pietro Paolini

Daily Life

2012

2nd prize stories

Bolivia is home to some 36 indigenous groups. The country’s president, Evo Morales, the first indigenous Bolivian to hold that office, is leader of the Movement towards Socialism party, whose long-held goal has been the integration of indigenous communities into national life.

Danish and Iranian Culture

The New Amazons

Guillaume Herbaut

Portraits

2nd prize singles

The New Amazons

Guillaume Herbaut

Portraits

2012

2nd prize singles

Inna Shevchenko (21) is a leader of Femen, a Ukrainian protest group comprising almost exclusively young women, which organizes topless demonstrations against such issues as sex tourism, the sex industry, and internet marriage brokering.

Afghan police recruits

Afghan police recruits

Burke + Norfolk

Simon Norfolk

Portraits

3rd prize stories

Burke + Norfolk

Simon Norfolk

Portraits

2012

3rd prize stories

While working in Afghanistan during 2011, Simon Norfolk had the idea of trying to photograph groups he felt might have been interesting to the 19th-century photographer John Burke, were he there today.

Tuna fish in the Tonnara

Rhino Wars

Brent Stirton

Nature

1st prize stories

Rhino Wars

Brent Stirton

Nature

2012

1st prize stories

With rhinoceros horn worth more than gold, the animals are the target of poachers. South Africa alone lost over 400 rhinos to illegal poaching in 2011. It is estimated there are only 16,000 rhinos left in the world, and the animal faces extinction.

Infinite Cave

Shark Fin

Paul Hilton

Nature

3rd prize stories

Shark Fin

Paul Hilton

Nature

2012

3rd prize stories

Hunting sharks for their fins has become big business across the globe, as shark-fin soup soars in popularity among China’s growing, newly affluent middle class. Up to 73 million sharks are killed annually.